On Monday evening, February 10, the Chabad Women’s Circle of Teaneck ushered in Tu B’Shevat with a twist—featuring sour pickles, sauerkraut and “the magic of fermentation” with Ahuva Gottdiener of Homegrown Kosher. Women from across Bergen County packed the Chabad House to learn the secrets and science behind this deliciously transformative process.
Led by Rebbetzin Rivky Goldin, the Chabad Women’s Circle of Teaneck hosts evening gatherings periodically throughout the year to mark holidays and meaningful moments on the Jewish calendar. For each event, the Chabad House becomes infused with the essence of the holiday, from Tehillim to divrei Torah, delectable holiday-themed refreshments, and of course, the featured holiday-themed speaker or activity.
As Rebbetzin Goldin recounted a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe comparing the fruit of a tree to the good deeds of a person, which for each, justify their existence, she set the tone for the evening. Making every person in attendance feel warmly welcome, she captivated the crowd with her scrumptious Tu B’Shevat-themed homemade treats, beautiful music and decor, and thoughtful introduction to Gottdiener and her fermenting philosophy and skill.
Tu B’Shevat is an opportune time to lean in to our natural environment and appreciate the processes of the foods we produce and eat. Gottdiener embraces this mindset, as she describes on her website, homegrownkosher.com, “A lifestyle of appreciation and connection by cultivating an environment of curiosity and familiarity, Homegrown Kosher reclaims the wonder of engaging with our world.” Proudly having over 400,000 followers combined on her various handles on social media, Gottdiener explains that her work “is more than social media pages and a food blog. It’s about learning practical ways to integrate the Homegrown Kosher ethos into your everyday life and reclaim the wonder of engaging with our world.”
Gottdiener brought her equipment and ingredients to demonstrate her methodology. She entertained questions, shared recipes, and passed around tasters. She recruited the assistance of one of the youngest attendees, 8-year-old Amalya Edelstein of Teaneck, to help her mix the salt into the cabbage with her gloved hands. Edelstein said she “loved being a part of the process, found it satisfying and fascinating, and can’t wait to try it at home.” Gottdiener then passed around the cabbage bowl to demonstrate the sights and sounds of the beginnings of the transformation of the cabbage into sauerkraut. As Amalya put it, “it was amazing!”
In closing the beautiful evening, Rebbetzin Goldin sent each person home with a laminated bracha achrona card with encouragement to use it to give thanks to Hashem for our food and to be a zechut to bring our hostages home. She also distributed bags of assorted dried fruits, a traditional companion to the sour fermentations.
For information on upcoming Teaneck Chabad Women’s Circle events, please check chabadhouse.com or email
[email protected].
